MG ZS 180

What was done to yours? Intake and exhaust, i'm assuming here but you mentioned breathing mods so i'm going to assume intake and exhaust at the very most including decat, inlet and exhaust manifold and that gave you 24BHP with or without an ECU remap/replacement and tuning?
 
If I was going to go MG I'd be looking at a ZT it's a much much nicer car but I'm not sure your budget is sufficient.
 
[TW]Fox;16747317 said:
There we have it then, cast iron proof a bent MG is faster than a CTR ;)
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He must have been granny shifting when he should have been double clutching.
 
Relentless81 said:
What was done to yours? Intake and exhaust, i'm assuming here but you mentioned breathing mods so i'm going to assume intake and exhaust at the very most including decat, inlet and exhaust manifold and that gave you 24BHP with or without an ECU remap/replacement and tuning?
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Enclosed induction
Janspeed Manifolds
Decat
Catback
Backbox

and yes the Siemens ECU that comes with the Zed learns quite well. A remap would've taken it to around the 210-215bhp mark. Never got round to it though.
 
ZS owner stepping in :p

Yes, it's built on a 1990's hatchback, yes it will break down occasionally... but apart from that they're jeffing good fun.

I drove a 180 before I got my diesel, and fark me it was quick for what is a very practical and sensible car. The one I drove had 65k on it, and was a 2004 registered model with climate control, the new facelift looks (om nom) and... not much else. Basic spec is standard on a ZS.

The V6 is lively, needing to be revved. What a noise :D
Worthy of note, the engine has a variable length intake system, meaning at 4k (ish) the note of the engine changes and you get a real power lift!

Tiff Needell described the ZS180 as the best FWD car he has ever driven... and I reckon he's not far off. I've driven most 'common' cars in the ZS's category :)

Comfort wise it isn't bad for the way it handles, I drove to Glasgow (250 miles) on to John O Groats (300 miles) and all the way back (550 miles) in a weekend, and felt fine afterwards.

Common issues you'll face:

- Clutch hydraulics are poo, an uprated kit is available for about £130 which resolves the issue completely.
- Cambelt change is expensive. Due at 5 years or 60k, £500 is the going rate.
- Front tyres - om nom nom being 180bhp and FWD.
- Inlet manifolds can start to rattle, a guy on the owner's club does replacements for about £200 on an exchange basis.
- VIS motors that control the inlet manifold plenum length can fail. Not expensive though.

All in all a good car, if you can get past the badge stigma. I could get insured on one at 20 years old.
 
Had mine (ZS 180) almost 12 months now, echoing what Phate and rover416i say.

Doesn't seem much if any slower than my mates CTR?

It's my first car so can only compare it to my dad's Civic 1.8 VTi, which is a lot, lot softer!

Love the way it handles, LOVE the sound of the V6. Interior, is dated and mine has got a few rattles but wasn't really expecting BMW-esque quality.

Totally agree with getting past the badge stigma, value for money wise you'd be hard pressed to find something else.
 
two of my friends have ZS180s (one hatch, one saloon) neither seem fast to me (and i drive a 115bhp Cinquecento) - is it likely that both of the ZS's are broken then, seems to be a lot of people in here saying they're fast.. but i'm not seeing it.

edit; also re the KV6 sound.. sounds strained to me, i wouldn't describe it as nice.
 
The ZS 180 certainly has some 'petrolhead' qualities that I like..

I've raced a few, and driven 2, and they surprised me.. Having seen the fifth gear review, as mentioned above, it was very well received (in terms of performance/handling etc)..

And to be honest, the whole trophy blue saloon with large rear spoiler kind of appeals to the slightly overt side of me..

I'd say go and test drive one or two, the main thing is though, in terms of running costs, you'd have to bet it is going to be a bit more to run/maintain then the CTR, but if it's stop gap and you just fancy an alternative, clearly you have thought about it, so go and get a go in one..

If high quality interiors and uber reliability are your thing, then I'd stay clear, but having some fun at a reasonable price point I'd give one a second look.

:)
 
GeX said:
two of my friends have ZS180s (one hatch, one saloon) neither seem fast to me (and i drive a 115bhp Cinquecento) - is it likely that both of the ZS's are broken then, seems to be a lot of people in here saying they're fast.. but i'm not seeing it.

edit; also re the KV6 sound.. sounds strained to me, i wouldn't describe it as nice.
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I'm willing to bet their VIS systems were on the blink. One guy dyno'd with dodgy VIS intake and he got 130bhp then he ran again and got 110bhp :-/

And yeh standard wise the exhaust note isn't all that. Check out my youtoob account, search for MG ZS 180 drive - you'll see 3 videos demo'ing the exhaust when I'd just had it done. Username is jacobellw I think. Sounded like a frickin motorbike :D (or search in Motors for a thread I made titled 'V6 noise porn' (or something along those lines))
 
so asside from the poor power levels, how do you go about confirming the VIS intake has failed?

re the noise, i'm on about the sound from the engine itself - not the exhaust note (which does sound good on one of the cars as it has an aftermarket exhaust)
 
GeX said:
so asside from the poor power levels, how do you go about confirming the VIS intake has failed?
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Nail it.

You should get 2 surges of power. One between 3k and 3.5krpm and the second aronud 5krpm. If you don't get those, your VIS system and plenum needs investigating.

re the noise, i'm on about the sound from the engine itself - not the exhaust note (which does sound good on one of the cars as it has an aftermarket exhaust)
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I too felt the engine sounded a bit strained on the standard breathing system, induction and exhaust soon freed that up :D
 
GeX said:
two of my friends have ZS180s (one hatch, one saloon) neither seem fast to me (and i drive a 115bhp Cinquecento) - is it likely that both of the ZS's are broken then, seems to be a lot of people in here saying they're fast.. but i'm not seeing it.

edit; also re the KV6 sound.. sounds strained to me, i wouldn't describe it as nice.
Click to expand...

Is your Cinquecento turbo charged? Turbo cars tend to feel much faster as they give you that slap back into the seat when you floor it which you don't tend to get so much of with a more progressive normally aspirated engine.
 
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